Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis (Beach Morning Glory)

  • TropPlant Accession Number (TPAN): 0121
  • Botanical Name: Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis 
  • Common Name: Beach Morning Glory, Goat's Foot Vine, Puhuehue or Pohuehue (Hawaiian)
  • Cultivar: subspecies brasiliensis
  • Family: Convolvulaceae
Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis 
Photo by Matthew Gaston

  • Native To: Across the tropics (Pantropical), especially along the coast 

Landscaping Information

    • Plant Type: Vine, Groundcover
    • Texture: Open to Dense
    • Form: Irregular: Creeping Vining
    • Height (on average, in landscape use): 0.5'
    • Height to Spread Ratio: Spreading, sprawling vine
    • Growth Rate: Medium, Fast
    • Landscape Values: Filler, Groundcover, Mass, Erosion Control
    • Outstanding Quality: Erosion Control

    Botanical Descriptions

    • Flowers: Morning Glory Type Flower; 5 light pink to bright pink to lavender petals fused forming a bell to funnel shaped corolla. Features a star shape, usually colored darker than the rest of the flower. Stamens and pistil are inconspicuous. No fragrance.
    Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    • Fruits: Dark brown, 0.5" diameter, spherical. 
    • Foliage Color: Young/immature: Yellow Green. Mature: bright medium green to yellow-green
    • Foliage Tip: Emarginated 
    • Foliage Base: Cordate
    • Petiole: 1'-8"
    • Stipules: N/A
    • Margins: Smooth 
    • Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
    • Leaf Shape: Obcordate
    • Leaf Type: Simple
    • Leaf Texture: Glabrous, leathery, thick, firm.
    • Leaf Special Notes: Petiole lengths vary (as in any plant) depending on the amount of sun exposure. Some leaves are smaller and more stout due to the harsh, dry conditions, while other plants will have rather long petioles to extend through debris
    Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis adaxial leaf surface
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis abaxial leaf surface 
    Photo by Matthew Gaston


    • Bark and Trunk: A prostrate, creeping vine with the ability to root at every node. Light green flexible stems.

    Ipomoea pes-caprae spp. brasiliensis can become patchy as it dies in older regions
    Photo by Matthew Gaston

    Horticultural Information

      • Light Preference: Full Sun
      • Light Tolerances: Semi-Sun
      • Soil Preferences: Not Particular, but well draining
      • Tolerances: Acidic,  Alkaline, Smog, Compacted Soil, Salt Air, Saline Soil, Moderate Winds, Humidity, Drought, Being Walked Upon. 
      • Water Requirements: Drought tolerant once established. Does not thrive when roots are sitting in water. 
      • Notes on Maintenance: Requires a good amount of space to grow and crawl. It can be maintained by after enough time of growing in a confined area, it will form a dense thicket of older stems. Occasional patches might appear barren. Great for erosion control, especially along the coast with salt spray, high winds, and sandy soils. 
      • Propagation: Seeds, Cutting,
      • Minimum USDA Hardiness Zone: 10a
      • Weed Risk Assessment Score (WRA): Native, yet some people consider this a weed.

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